With the grand opening of its newest restaurant, Belmar-based Playa Bowls has officially hit 200 shops nationwide.

Located at 150 Main St., Suite #2 in Hackensack, the store – which marks the acai bowl chain’s 71st franchise agreement this year – is owned and operated by Jerry Eicke.

It’s also the fifth Playa Bowls outpost for Eicke, who has launched four other spots in Bergen County with his business partner Francesco Stillatano: in Englewood, Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood and Westwood.

Eicke commented, “In 2018, I introduced Playa Bowls to Bergen County with the intention of offering healthier food options to my local community. Five years later, and I’m opening my fifth location in the county, marking a major milestone for Playa Bowls.”

“My journey as a Playa Bowls franchisee has been truly transformative, as each new shop presents an exciting opportunity to provide the community with fresh, nourishing, and delectable superfruit bowls and smoothies. I’m eager to continue expanding Playa Bowls throughout the region as well as welcoming guests at our newest Hackensack location,” he said.

Following its Aug. 19 grand opening, the Hackensack store is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Founded in 2014 by Abby Taylor and Rob Giuliani, Playa Bowls offers acai, green pitaya and coconut bowls as well as juices, cold brew and smoothies. Now considered a leader in the national superfruit bowl shop segment, the chain’s footprint has grown to 200 locations in 20 states, including 72 in New Jersey.

In commenting on growth, Taylor, the company’s chief marketing officer, said, “Playa Bowls once began as a patio table outside of a pizza shop, and now, nearly a decade later, we’ve reached 200 locations across the nation.”

“With our home state being New Jersey, it’s truly so satisfying to celebrate such a monumental milestone right where the brand started. We can guarantee Playa Bowls’ rapid momentum won’t be slowing down any time soon,” Taylor stated.

Alongside the launch of 33 additional shops by the end of 2023, Playa Bowls has several promotional initiatives in the works, including the release of its fall specials and new offers for rewards members.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:11 p.m. ET Aug. 22, 2023, to correct the spelling of Jerry Eicke’s name.